Garfield Keeps Edge in Raising Funds for City Council Election

Beth Garfield, a labor lawyer who once led the Los Angeles Community College District board, held onto her sizable fund-raising lead Friday in the race to replace the late John Ferraro on the Los Angeles City Council.

Garfield has raised more than $500,000 in her bid to represent the 4th Council District, but two-thirds of the money came from loans she made to her own campaign.

In the last two weeks, she has been outpaced in the money marathon by two other top contenders, former state Sen. David Roberti and former Ferraro aide Tom LaBonge, who also worked for former Mayor Richard Riordan and the city Department of Water and Power.

Since Aug. 26, Roberti has collected $40,087 and LaBonge $35,891. Garfield took in $27,068 in that period, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday.

Even so, Roberti remains third in overall fund-raising for the Sept. 11 election, with $203,259 to date. LaBonge has raised $407,724 altogether, while Garfield leads in contributions with $521,029 (including her earlier $350,000 loan).

“I’m working awfully hard,” Roberti said, “because I’ve still got to compete with someone who’s a multimillionaire, putting her own money in, and someone else who had an early start because he had access to what I call the City Hall slot machine”--contributions from those who do business with the city.

The 4th District, an amalgam of leafy suburbia and funky urban grit, stretches from the southern fringes of the San Fernando Valley through the Cahuenga Pass and into Koreatown. It includes parts of Atwater, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Studio City and Toluca Lake.

Ferraro’s death in April accelerated a major shift at City Hall as term limits swept out many veteran lawmakers. Six new council members took office this summer. Once Ferraro’s seat is filled, another special election will follow in December to replace Councilman Joel Wachs, who has resigned to lead a New York arts foundation.

Other candidates for Ferraro’s seat reported raising several thousand dollars in the most recent period. Denise Munro Robb, a paralegal and environmental educator, took in about $12,000, for a total of $31,560. Fares Wehbe, a Hollywood school owner, raised $2,600. That brings Wehbe’s total to $86,825.

Also running are Susan Fong, a Silver Lake teacher; tax accountant Larry Green; Linda Lockwood, a Hollywood community organizer; Richard MacMinn, who leads a group that promotes neighborhood councils; and Mike Schaefer, an attorney and former San Diego city councilman.